Secondary or storage battery.



e. JM @1%7 13 No. 894,602. PATENTBD JULY 2a, 1908.

" i n.H CLARE. smm'DARY'0R STORAGE BATTERY.

APPLICATIONI'liILED SEPT. Z8, 1907..

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"Il" I No. 894,602. Y

"PATIEN'TED .JULY 2s. 190s. c. H. CLARE.. v .-'scoN-DARY A0R STORAGE BATTERY.

. AIPLIUATION 'FILED 'gE'PTL afwov.

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CHARLES H. CLARE, OF STR-ATIIAM, NEWIHAMPSHIR.

SECONIDARY `OR STORAGE BATTERY.

No. 894,602. l.

` Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2s, 190s.

Application filed September 28, 1907. Serial No. 395,010. l

To' all whom it mafyponcern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. CLARE, of

Stratham, in the county of Rockingham and State of New Hampshire, a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSecondary or Storage Batteries, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being i had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in explaining itsA nature.

My invention relates to an improvement in secondary or storage batteries having an element or unit comprising a number lof independent porous plates carrying or holding in place alongside the electrodes an activematerial, and between which plates an exciting fluid or electrolyte is admitted to be contained, whereby it or certain chemical elements thereof may be extracted to pass through said porous plates in the operation In the construction of a batof the element. tery of this type the custom hasbeen to provide for the admission of electrolyte between the plates of the element by means of ribs. on the plates forming channels between them into which the electrolyte is admitted bythe ends of the channelspopening into the receptacle or cell containing the exciting liquor or electrolyte. `Such a construction may be seen in Patent No. 717,351, grantedl to me December 30, 1902', for an improvement in secondary batteries. This type of battery though very effective is inefficient in that the electro-motive force generated by the element does not have the regularity it should have and as might be obtained in an element of the highest efficiency. In other words, if a line were to represent the electro-motive force of this element during a predetermined interval of time this line would not be a line marking an even gradual decrease in the strength of `the element, but a broken one marking an uneven gradual weakening thereof. I have found that the reason for this uneven discharge of the element resides in the fact that I the electrolyte on the discharge of the battery becomes lweakened in the immediate vicinity of the plates by the extraction of chemicalsfrom the electrolyte causing the efficiency-of the liquid to become relatively lowered and as the elliciency of the liquid decreases the electro-motive lforce and conductivity likewise decrease. The relative lowering of the electrolyte in the'ticinity of the plates is only a momentary one 'and becomes thereof.

obviated as soon as lthe equilibrium in the entire body of the electrolyte can be restored. It is accordingly the object of my invention to so provide that there shall be no inomentary relative lowering of the electrolyte in the vicinity of the plates of the element of 'the battery during the discharge thereof, but

that the decrease in the e'l'liciency of the electrolyte shall bev uniform throughout its entire body. y

The means I have provided can best be seen and understood by reference to the 4 .ter of the element, thereby causing a relative weakness of electro-motive force in that part of the element. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the element. end elevation. Fig. 4 is a cross section Figs. 5 and 6 show details of construction to which reference will hereinafter be made.

In' the drawings A is the element represented as having the insulating side and end plates A1, A2,; A3, A, respectively,` bound by suitable binders A5. Within the inclosure formed by these plates and retained thereby areu thel electrodes B interposed between Which are porous plates C. These porous plates C on one side or face thereof are crossed by ridges c forming an irregular or cellular surface containing and supporting an active material, and 'the plates are so arranged that the side or face of each of the several porous plates bearing this material shall be in contact with the electrodes. On the other sideof the porous platesare formed ribs or ridges cl which provide not only an abutment for adjacent porous plates placed back to back, butI form also channels c2 into which the electrolyte or exciting lluid has access as will hereinafter be explained.

With reference now to the means for admitting the electrolyte to' the channels formed between the respective porous plates: Extending transversely through the respective electrodes and plates of the element and connecting with the interposed channels are shown ducts D. These ducts may be pf any Fig. 3 shows the clement in form or order of arrangement.V l prefer,

however, as shown that they be made at the jointure between the sections which when combined form a complete porous plate of the element, each section at the end 'having an incision which when the two sections are combined forms a complete duct. The arrangement of ducts D may not be such that they will open rdirectly intoall of the channels c2 formed between the various plates, so

in order that the electrolyte may have access' i from the ducts D to each. one of the channels plates A1A2 at the respective sides of the element. ln order that these plates may not close the ends of the ducts or may be held clear therefrom, the plates are separated from the electrodes by means of interposed members E of wood or other suitable material made acid-proof if need be and acting as space blocks., These interposed spacing membersor blocks E are separate from one another so that the ducts D may be continued between the space blocks to the exterior of the element by channels Dl formed between-the blocks and the side plate A1 or A2 and the electrode adjacent. to it.- The channels D1 open into the receptacle or vessel in which the element is contained, for it is to be noted that the insulating and retaining plates A3, A4 at the ends of the element, while acting as a means of retention and support, are not extended so far as to cover the openings in the channels made by-the interposed blocks E. Accordingly the electrolyte entering through the channels D into the ducts D has a very ready and free access tovthe channels formed between the respective porous plates, thereby permitting such frecdom of circulation in the electrolyte through the element oi the battery that during the discharge thereof the el'liciency of the liquid does not become relatively lowered in the vicinity of the porous lates and particularly at the center of the e ement, but maintains a nearly uniform th'ough gradually decreas ing density throughout its entire body with the ciliect that during the discharge of the vbattery the electro-motive force drops unitormly as the strength of the element dccreases.

Having thus fully'described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of' the United States 1. In a battery, an element having an assemblage of electrodes, active material and plates for supporting the active material with openings adjacent t0 said plates for rcceiving and holding an exciting iluid, said plates and electrodes having formed therein to extend transversely through the same ducts in communication with the exterior of the element for directing the exciting iluid received from outside the element to the openings adjacent to said plates.

2. In a battery, an element bound by outer side and end retaining insulating members between which are contained electrodes, and porous plates adjacent to one another with openings-between them for holding and 'receiving van exciting iiuid, said plates and electrodes being 'formed also to provide ducts communicating with the exterior oi the element and passing transversely through the same to communicate with the openings between said porous lates in the interior of the element for directing thereto the exciting Huid received from outside said element.

3. In a battery, an element 'having outer retaining and insulating members between which are contained electrodes and adjacent thereto porous plates closelyadjacent to one another and having o enings between them for receiving and hol( ing an exciting fluid, means for separating said retaining members from the outer electrodes to form channels communicating with the outside of said element for receiving an exciting fluid, and

which plates'and electrodes areformed also to provide ducts in communication with said channels and passing transversely through said plates and electrodes to 'communicate with the openings between said porous plates in the interior of the element for directing thereto the exciting Huid received from outside the element by the way of said channels.

CHARLES H. CLARE. In thc presence of- WENDELL P. CLARE, FRED S. FELLOWES. 

